3 November 2024 -New Zealand

We woke at a reasonable time and after breakfast headed off to the Treaty grounds of Waitangi. This is a preserved area which is where the British and the Mauri chiefs signed the Treaty which have birth to New Zealand as an independent nation.

We had a guided tour and the guide explained what happened and the museum and grounds there mean you can wonder round and see the Treaty. The first signing of the Treaty was on 29 October 1835 when James Busby the English Governor called Māori tribal leaders to discuss the future and this was recognised by the British King and government. Over the next few years Busby collected further signatures and by 1839 52 leaders had signed. The Treaty was finalised in September 1840 when over 500 leaders had signed and as part of this Treaty it was agreed that there would be a British Settlement. This meant the chiefs had the right to appoint a lawmaking authority and their intention to meet annually in Waitangi. They had also created a NZ flag which the UK King and government accepted and asked that the King become their protector of its independence. This is why the UK flag flies at the same level as the NZ flag at Waitangi.  

As part of our tour, we came across a waka – a massive canoe – some 35 meters long and which takes 80 paddlers and canoe accommodate up to 120 people. It was built in 1940 out of one Kauri Tree which must have been huge. Apparently it has been recorded at 27 kts full speed. It weighs 6 tons out of the water and 12 tons when it comes out of the water.

Once we had the guided tour we were left at the entrance to a Māori wooded hut decorated with faces and carvings and we then had a cultural tour of this hut and a display by Māori people. As tourists we were told we needed a chief so I volunteered and in front of everyone I was offered a sprig of foliage as a peace sign which I accepted. We then went inside the hut where I was welcomed and I had to do a speech in return. There was then a display of dancing, war making etc.

The Treaty lands was very interesting and so fundamentally important for NZ. We had a coffee and snack after the tour. We then headed off toward Kerikeri which was a nice town recommended by my friend Barty who enjoys this place and also recommended Marsden Wine estate. As we approached the town we saw signs to the estate and stopped. It had a lovely restaurant and as part of any meal you can taste their wines. En route we stopped off to buy avocados which they grow here and we looked at their avocado trees which were about 12-15 foot high and looked like Red Robbin. We took 10 and put $10 NZ in the honesty box.

We therefore sat in a covered area looking over the vineyards and toward a pond in a lively setting. We had a great lunch and tasted a number of their wines which were very good. Thank you Barty for a great recommendation.

After lunch we went down to the Kerikeri basin and parked up. This is a river which comes up from the sea and there was a nice walk to a set of water falls on a river. We also walked to the Stone House and an old cottage which dates back to 1819 in a café nearby.

Erika had organised a night walk in a forest not too far from Kerikeri. This was in the Puketi Forest and we were to meet Helen at 6.45pm near this forest. We met here and she was quite alternative.  We were given torches and we drove to the entrance to the forest. We then walked down into the forest at dusk and we could hear the birds of the forest. It gradually got darker and we walked along paths with our torches. We heard Tia birds and Kakuru’s and owls and we saw the odd bird fly around but we could see a lot. We saw lots of spiders’ webs with spiders waiting for their prey.  We saw moths and weta’s (a type of cricket) and a tiny stick insect. We had a good walk around the forest at night and did not see as much as we would have liked. It was however an interesting experience. We saw a possum as we drove off and it took us about an hour to get back.

It had been a busy day and we had seen a lot.

The picture of the day is the crew at the Marsden wine estate.  

Opportunity Year Two

In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we move through French Polynesia and beyond. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com